The Shadow's Descent
by TheEyeOfTwilight
Summary: Zed's path is drowned in darkness. Shen's path is dictated by balance. What will happen when these two paths cross? Rating is subject to change.
1. Rain

**Hello everybody. Jeez, I guess it has been a few months since I've posted anything new. This here is a story I thought up and wrote while I was drunk, which just so happened to be about 10 minutes ago. Tell me if you like it, and I may think about continuing; also, before you ask, yes I will be continuing Blades of Noxus. I just got a bit of writer's block is all. Anyway, gimme a review and tell me what you think.**

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Rain, it was all he ever felt. Even in his heart, it seemed that there was a never ending storm. His soaked, black hair covered the piercing red eyes that so many feared. A child that no one wanted, and so he was alone. Until that day, the day he met him; the day that he was reborn.

It was another day for the "red eyed freak" as he was commonly referred to; an orphan for as long as he could remember, the boy had no memories of parents or siblings. His earliest days were spent wandering Ionia, as he had no true home. The boy kept himself alive by feasting on the scraps left behind by the wealthy. An occasional petty theft wasn't out of the ordinary either. But today was different; it was on this day that he would attempt something that had never crossed his mind before. Murder was on his mind, a large shuriken decorated his person. The newfound weapon cried out for the blood of the oppressors. The nobles of Ionia, so happily content with their luxuries while the poor received nothing. Shaking with excitement, the boy could think of nothing more than the blade he had stumbled upon slicing through the flesh of all those who had denied him of a normal life. He basked in the profound, cold steel in his hands. It was an empowering feeling, one that he had never felt before. For the longest time, he had felt weakness throughout his entire being. Every day was met with the hardship of survival, and no matter how hard he worked towards his goals; at the end of the day, he was still nothing more than a street rat in the eyes of his elders.

The boy cared not who his victim would be, his actions would not be about a grudge, rather they would convey his anger; a crimson red to paint the streets with his hatred. For once, his dark heart had felt warmth. The young boy sat on the ground, his back pushed against the side of the stairwell as he fiddled with the weapon in his hands. It was still very early in Ionia; the sun was only just rising in the so called "peaceful" land. It was a foggy morning, which was just the way the boy liked it. A thick veil of fog would hide him from would be tormentors. He had hidden in the shadows for so long; he had all but forgotten what incandescence the sun brought about. The child examined the steel that lay in his palms; even though the air was thick with condensation, the metal glistened, causing a rare smile to form on the boy's face. In fact, he was so lost in his deep gaze, that he almost missed it; the moment that would change his life forever.

The silhouettes of two figures appeared through the Ionian fog. The young boy acted with haste, leaping to his feet in an instant. As the figures moved closer, their features became clear. On the left stood a tall man, his hair was brown with a trace amount of gray hairs; he appeared to have a calm nature about him, but at the same time the boy could sense his will; to the right of the man stood a unique looking specimen. A boy, who looked to be around the same age of the observer; his face showed no definite emotion, the two boys were polar opposites on the physical scale, black hair that darkened the world around it; silver locks which fed luminosity into the atmosphere. The sound of footsteps grew ever present, when suddenly, all sound ceased to be. Mere meters separated the two parties. The two boys locked eyes; piercing red met a calm, golden gaze. Time passed as a battle of eyes ensued, the crimson-eyed boy began feeling a knot in his stomach; the glare of his counterpart was oddly intimidating. It was then that he remembered why he was in this situation to begin with. 'Revenge' the word echoed through his mind. Not revenge on a specific person, rather revenge on the cursed society that cut down his status as a human being. His anger boiled over, and in one swift motion, he sent his steel shuriken flying through the chilled air. Its destination was the chest of the older man. Blood, it was all he desired; watching his blade carve a path through the fog with killing intent, blood was the only result he would accept. CLANG! His eyes widened, his heart sank, the knot in his stomach tightened. A single ninjato halted the movement of the shuriken. The projectile fell to the ground, along with the crimson-eyed boy's hunger for brutality. Confidence became fear; the boy was stricken with fright at what he had witnessed. He didn't even see the other boy draw his sword. Paralyzed by the previous events, the boy watched as the older man let out an elongated sigh, followed by a name.

"Shen." The older man put his hand on the boy's shoulder; that was all it took for him to grasp the situation.

"Understood." Replied Shen. His voice was deeper than what the other boy had expected; however, he had no time to think about the pitch of Shen's voice. Within a moment, a blur of silver was rushing towards him at a breakneck pace. The red-eyed boy barely had time to react before the golden orbs from before were inches away from him. Acting only instinctively, the boy attempted to land a quick jab, only to have his fist land in the palm of Shen's hand. Shen tightened his grip immensely causing his opponent to cry out in pain. Within a moment, the black-haired boy was slammed into the ground. There he laid, jagged stones stabbing into his back and a blade pressed against his throat. The cold feeling that resonated off the blade, made him shiver.

"Alright, that should be enough." The voice in the background broke the seemingly everlasting tension between the two boys.

"But father!" Shen objected.

"My decision is final, Shen." Replied Shen's father. Shen shot a glare back at his grounded foe.

"Understood." He said in a monotone voice. Shen stood up, and sheathed his ninjato before regrouping with his father. The disgruntled boy sat up from his previous position and viewed the two coming together. He was furious, not at them, but at himself. His opportunity was wasted; he was made a fool of by someone who he had sneak attacked. Tears began forming in his eyes, as his eyes found the shuriken which was not stuck in the ground. Warm streams began to make their way down his pale face. He was weak, this day had proven everything that he was ever told. All of the nobles who looked down upon him, they were right, he was nothing but a weakling; a rat in a world of titans.

"Well then, we'd better get back" Shen's father announced. The father and son began walking back the way they came, when suddenly Shen's father called back.

"You too, come along" The boy looked up at the older man and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Hurry up; we've got important things to do." Shen added in an annoyed tone. The boy didn't know why, he had no good reason to follow them. Minutes ago he attempted to take their lives, but now they were acting as if nothing had ever happened. One reluctant step after another, he inched ever closer to the two patiently waiting for him. His gaze once again came upon the shuriken that stuck out of the ground.

"You can take it with you if you'd like." Said Shen's father. A small, yet noticeable smile formed on the boys face as he swiftly pulled the shuriken out of the ground and made his way over to his new companions. He had no idea where he was going, and what he would have to do once he got there; but for once in his life, he felt as though he belonged, he was accepted by complete strangers. A warm aura surrounded the boy as he walked along the streets of Ionia.

"What's your name?" The older man asked whilst continuing to walk. The young boy looked down in confusion.

"I don't know…" He responded. Shen's father chuckled at this unexpected response.

"Well then I guess we'll just have to give you one." The man thought for a minute before coming to a conclusion.

"Zed, does that sound okay?" He asked, turning to the young boy. The boy gave a slight nod before averting his gaze.

"Zed…" The crimson eyed boy whispered quietly to himself. He looked up into the morning sky, where his gaze was met by the rising sun and for the first time in his life, the storm had settled.


	2. A Warm Welcome

**As it turns out, I can write some decent material when I'm drunk (noted for future reference). Enough people enjoyed this, so it has officially become my new project. Hope you all enjoy, and leave a review if you'd like; I always enjoying reading them.**

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His body ached; his breaths were stuttered; covered in a thin film of sweat, Zed collapsed onto the wooden floor. His red eyes gazed aimlessly at the ceiling above him as his chest rose and fell. Zed learned quickly what it meant to be considered Kinkou. The training was harsh, the days were long, and the rules were absolute. The boy had only been living in the compound for a couple of days, and yet he was thrown right into the fire. However, Zed didn't mind the rigorous work at all; it made him feel like he belonged. The other Kinkou were welcoming enough to him, and he no longer had to risk his life if he wanted a meal; not much bothered Zed in his new home… except for one thing, rather, one person.

"That was better than last time, you almost lasted five minutes." A voice echoed throughout the room. Zed let out a sigh with what little breath he could muster up. Footsteps approaching him gained in decibels. In a matter of moment, those same golden orbs were looking down upon him; the eyes of the person he hated the most, yet respected the most at the same time. Shen had been assigned the duty of ensuring Zed received proper training, and without a doubt; he certainly made sure that Zed's life was made as hard as humanly possible without him dying of exhaustion. Zed tried to forget that Shen was there, towering over his motionless body. Zed closed his eyes, and listened to the sound of his heart; the beating was rapid, Zed felt as if his vital organs would burst any moment from being overworked. Before long though, he felt a soft kick hit his thigh.

"That's enough leisure time; you're still not strong enough." Shen explained. Zed shot the other boy a hatred filled glare. Zed couldn't fathom how stamina of Shen's level was even possible. The two ninjas had been sparring for the past 3 hours, yet he had not seen his fellow clansman break a single sweat. That was another thing that bothered Zed; Shen was simply too calm at all times. He showed nearly no emotion at all times; he had never seen Shen cry, complain, loathe, get angry or anything. It was as if nothing fazed him. Even when Shen's father requested things of him that seemed ludicrous to Zed, Shen always responded with the same exact word every time without fail.

'Understood'

Zed glanced over at Shen, and reluctantly began an attempt at getting back to his feet; this was sure to be a long day.

The sun was bright; it shone down warmth unlike any other body. Zed sat down at a small table located in the outside area of the compound. His shoulders slouched as he slumped over in his seat. The ninjas training was done for the day; what felt like an eternity to Zed turned out to only be 5 hours of training with Shen. Zed pulled his lunch out of a small sack he was given his first day at the compound. The lunch itself was nothing special; rice with some various meats and vegetables. It was enough for Zed to be somewhat excited about though, the way he saw it; anything had to be better than training with Shen. Just as Zed was about to indulge himself with a bite of his lunch, he noticed an unfamiliar Kinkou approaching him. The mysterious member had dark, spiked hair not quite as black as Zed's. The boy was quite a bit taller than Zed himself, and appeared to be a few years older. Nonetheless, he still sat down opposite to Zed, and pulled out his own lunch. Zed started at the ninja across from him; he looked rather normal save for the scar cutting diagonally through his left eye. It took a few minutes for the boy to realize that Zed had fixated his stare on him.  
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself, right? My name's Hizashi, you're the new guy right?"

"Yeah" Zed responded. Hizashi looked surprised at the lack of a response, but his expression quickly lightened up again.

"You look beat up, something happen today?" Hizashi questioned. Zed considered sticking to his vague responses, but ultimately decided that it might be nice to be able to confide in someone about his feelings towards Shen.

"I had training this morning, it was rather unpleasant."

"That all? You should get used to that kind of stuff pretty quickly; most of the new recruits do within a week or so." Hizashi said in a friendly tone. Zed sighed, and averted his gaze elsewhere. Hizashi picked up on the obvious displeasure that his peer was displaying.

"Is it really that rough on you?" Hizashi questioned. Zed turned his head back to Hizashi, pondering the question. How much did he really want to reveal about his dislike for Shen? Zed decided on not revealing too many details.

"My partner is pretty damn tough, that's all." Zed mumbled. Hizashi shoved another mound of rice in his mouth and chuckled.

"Oh yeah, who is this guy anyway?" Zed yet again questioned whether or not he should gossip about Shen; however, Zed had an odd amount of trust in Hizashi, and settled on revealing the name of the bane of his existence.

"It's… It's uh, Shen." Zed muttered. Hizashi's eyes widened at this reveal.

"Damn, I pity you. You might have to give more than a week to get used to training if that's the case."

"Is he really that bad?" Zed questioned. Hizashi laughed at this and continued on.

"No one can keep up with that guy, not even some of the adults. They say he's a shoe-in for becoming the next Eye." Hizashi explained. This left Zed confused as he had no idea what 'Eye' even meant; however, he was getting impatient, and decided to begin eating his lunch rather than questioning the meaning. He was sure he would find out soon enough anyway.

Zed finished up the rest of his lunch, and made his way back to the inside of the compound. He navigated the numerous hallways before finally finding himself in the living quarters. It was only about 6 pm, but Zed was completely worn out from the day's events. Zed examined the numbers on all of the doors, searching for his room which was marked by the number 3. The young ninja at last came upon his quarters. He clutched the handle and slid the door open, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I see you've finally found the room." Zed dropped his bag, letting it hit the floor. The streets of Ionia were starting to seem ever so appealing.


	3. Livid Crimson

**I realized for the first time today that I haven't been posting much at all. Apologies, I have no excuse other than pure laziness. Anyway, I wrote this up today during my study hall. As always, be sure to review and let me know what you think as well as what I can do you all for the support so far.  
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Zed's belongings spilled out of his bag and sprawled across the wooden floor. He clenched his fist, before diverting his attention away from his new found roommate. The boy inched his way to the bed opposite of Shen's; his legs ached and became heavier with each step. Zed collapsed onto the welcoming softness that was his bed; he turned on his side and stared at the wall facing him. Though he was making no visual contact with Shen, Zed could feel the luminescent irises burning their gaze into his back. A feeling of anxiety nearly overtook him in that moment, yet Zed kept his composure; he was determined to stay intact around Shen. Showing weakness against the person that proved to be his greatest rival would be unacceptable. Though Zed lacked the experience and strength that Shen held, the young ninja was set on besting his counterpart on day; though not sure when, Zed would one day stand above Shen on day, just as Shen towered over his worn out body so many times before. A sly smirk formed on Zed's face, with his resolve seared into his mind, the Kinkou slept easily on that day.

Zed was awoken by a ruckus in his vicinity. His long, black hair concealed the purple bags that lay under his tired eyes. Zed yawned before turning to see Shen covered by nothing more than a towel; as if having to endure training with Shen wasn't enough, now he also had to see him half-naked every morning. Zed let out an annoyed sigh and stared downwards at the floor. A silence filled the air as neither boy exchanged words. Eventually, it was Shen that broke the silence.

"Will you be training this morning?" Shen asked.

"It's my rest day." Zed replied quietly. Shen only grunted in response to this, while making his way out of the room. Zed inhaled deeply as soon as he was certain Shen was unable to hear him. The boy fell back onto his bed, letting a mess of black hair sprawl across the surface. Though he was able to keep his composure in Shen's presence, Zed's exhaustion overtook him after his peer had left. Every muscle in his body ached more than the previous day; it appeared as though sleeping had done nothing to remedy the pain he was in. Zed tried forcing his eyes shut, but the soreness would not allow him any more rest. In an attempt to loosen his body up, Zed decided on walking around the compound for a while. Zed stripped his night clothes off and dressed himself in a simple robe before making his way out of the room.

The boy roamed the many halls of his new home. There was no real décor to be noted, as most of the walls were void of anything. Eventually, Zed found himself in front of two sliding doors; he could see the sun shining through their slim form. The young ninja slid the doors open and was greeted with an unmatched sight. It was a simple courtyard, yet its beauty was somehow unmatched by any sight Zed had ever laid his eyes on. There were small streams that lead into a pond; groups of coy could be seen traversing the water. Foliage sprouted from the soil giving the area a feeling of wilderness; but by far the most beautiful sight that caught Zed's eye was a young girl gazing into the morning sky. She had long, black hair similar to Zed's; her skin was darker than his however. The girl had soft features, yet it still appeared that she could hold her own. Her overall presence left Zed with conflicted feelings. Her beauty caused feelings of anxiety to elevate within him; just being in her general vicinity sent a shiver down his spine, yet at the same time, Zed loathed these feelings that distracted him so very much from his ultimate goal. Before the boy had time to process all of his thoughts, he realized that the recipient of his drawn out stare was now looking back at him. Zed became almost petrified as the female approached him. Thoughts assaulted his mind at a breakneck pace, never having been in a situation like this, Zed was unsure of what to say or do once he was confronted. In mere moments, his red eyes met a light green shade. Greeted by a warm smile, Zed could only respond awkwardly with a blank expression.

"Hello." The girl said. Her voice was soft and sweet, just as Zed had imagined it to be.

"Hi…" Zed responded quietly before shooting a look at the ground. The young girl giggled at the very apparent shyness that Zed was exhibiting.

"My name is Akali, may I ask yours?" The girl questioned.

"I'm Zed…" The boy responded.

"Oh, so you're the new recruit then? I've heard a lot about you." Akali said. Zed began to wonder what exactly she had heard about him. To his knowledge, he hadn't made much of an impact since arriving at the compound; this meant that she had probably heard about the rather peculiar way Zed came to be Kinkou. Nevertheless, Akali seemed cheerful regardless of whatever it was that she knew about him. The two ninjas exchanged words for a while longer, with Akali doing the majority of the talking. Even though his words were few, Zed had already befriended two of his fellow clansmen at this point. As the early morning fog faded from the grounds, Zed and Akali continued to enjoy each other's company into the early afternoon; yet all good things came to an end and to Zed, the end came in the form of one person.

"Just a few days ago I was-"Akali cut herself off, something catching her eye. The young girl stood up from her seated position and began waving.

"Hey, Shen come over here!" She called out. Zed's eyes narrowed as his heart sank. The black-haired boy watched as his recent acquaintance ran over to his most hated acquaintance and embraced him, her arms wrapped around his firm torso. Zed studied Shen's reaction, the result being exactly what he had expected. A cold stare into the distance, even someone like Zed could see that Akali clearly had feelings for Shen; while they may not have been entirely romantic, she still obviously considered Shen to be a good friend. At that moment it became clear to Zed what exactly it was that he disliked most about Shen, his inability to show any emotion at all. Every time it was the same outcome, regardless of whatever situation Shen was thrown into, he remained neutral throughout the duration. Nary an emotion was present, even when Akali hugged him so tightly. It made Zed clench his fist in anger and annoyance.

"I see you have met our latest member." Shen said, acknowledging Zed's presence in the courtyard.

"Oh, yeah we were just talking about stuff." Akali responded, finally releasing her hold on Shen's waistline. Shen barely acknowledged this remark, simply giving a slight nod. The three Kinkou continued to sit in a small group which mostly consisted of a stare down between Shen and Zed whilst Akali talked in the background. Time flew as an exchange of looks raged on. Before Zed knew it, the sun was setting on the compound. Akali yawned and stood up to stretch.

"I'm going to go eat dinner before it's too late." The girl declared. Shen and Zed stood up as well, preparing to take their leave. Akali whispered something to Shen before hurrying indoors. Shen sighed, and glanced back to Zed.

"I will be taking my leave as well." Shen stated as he turned to walk through the sliding doors. Before long, Zed was left standing alone in the middle of the courtyard. Sounds of flowing water and multitudes of bugs chirping filled the area around him, yet Zed was deaf to them all; crimson eyes gazed at the ever darkening sky, unsure if his new found relationships were merely a façade.


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